Split Ends
by merakimela
Summary: After opening up to Chat Noir about the events in Timebreaker, Ladybug discovers that her healing charm might not have wrapped things up as neatly as she believed. The Parisian heroes find a way to the prime universe with the intent of saving it too, but they find out that a lot can happen in a few months.
1. A Grim Revelation

"Ladybug! Wait up!"

Ladybug turned at the sound of a familiar female voice calling out to her. She had anticipated it would be Alya with questions for the Ladyblog, so she was surprised to see her pink-haired classmate gliding towards her on her skates.

"Alix? What's up?" She asked with a tone of concern. The small girl skidded to a halt in front of her, pausing before speaking despite not seeming to be out of breathe. Ladybug waited as patiently as she could, seeing as she didn't have a time limit as the akuma today was a particularly easy one that didn't need her Lucky Charm to be defeated. Still, she didn't like lingering in public for too long.

"I just wanted to say thank you. Y'know...for trusting me to help with Reverser? It can't have been easy after what I put you through when I was akumatized." Alix spoke sincerely, her usual confidence replaced by a shy shame. Ladybug blinked in confusion, as the implication of what the girl said hit her.

"Y-you remember what happened?" She questioned. Alix winced as she nodded.

"Yeah...I remember what both of me did. I asked around and nobody else can remember their time akumatized. Do you think it has to do with having two sets of memories?" Alix responded in tow with a question Ladybug had no way of answering. She looked at her scarlet clad feet as they shuffled nervously.

"Honestly Alix? I have no idea. I could try talking to Chat Noir and see if he can think of anything." At the mention of the superhero, Alix's brow furrowed with guilt.

"Can you tell him I'm sorry for what I did? I know he won't remember, but I still feel bad." Alix requested softly. Before Ladybug could respond, there was a thud behind her.

"Why are we a _paw_ logising to me? For scaring me senseless when I was most vulnerable?" Chimed the unmistakable voice of Chat Noir behind her, laced heavily with a humoured tone.

"Pfft...as if I'd apologise for doing something so hilarious." Alix bantered back, bouncing back to her usual confident self.

"Then what?" Chat Noir asked, sauntering to Ladybug's side with a curious expression.

"I'm running late. I have to go." Alix announced with a strong poker face, before zipping off down the road. Chat Noir chuckled.

"What was that about?" He asked, still chuckling. He turned and saw for the first time that Ladybug was frowning and stopped laughing.

"My Lady? What is it? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Chat Noir questioned frantically, pivoting to stand in front of her. He brought his hands up to her shoulders and began rubbing comforting circles with his thumbs. Ladybug sighed sadly.

"There's something I need to talk to you about from when Alix was akumatized. Can you meet me on top of Musée D'Orsay in ten minutes?" Chat Noir tilted his head in confusion at the request.

"Too many people are noticing us meeting at the Eiffel Tower and at Notre Dame. We've got to shake up our patterns." She explained. Once she got a nod of comprehension from her partner, Ladybug took off.

Taking a quick pit stop to detransform and feed Tikki, Marinette shuffled anxiously on her feet.

"Tikki are you worried about Alix being able to remember? Does it mean something went wrong?" She asked her wise companion quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the narrow alleyway they were hiding in. Tikki waited until she finished her mouthful of cookie before responding.

"I am worried, and I don't know what it means. But I don't think Chat Noir will know either. Why are we asking him instead of Master Fu?"

"I don't expect him to know. I just think this might be the best way to bring up what happened before we went back in time. Every time he sacrifices himself for me I think back to then and it's been killing me. I don't think he knows how much he scares me when he does that." Marinette admitted. Tikki floated up to Marinette's face and offered a sympathetic look. Not wanting to be late, they transformed and headed over to the meeting point.

When Ladybug got there, Chat Noir was already waiting for her, looking as nervous as she felt. At the sound of her landing, he jerked his head up in her direction and gave an odd expression of excitement and anxiety.

"Hey chaton. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." She spoke, attempting to convey a gentle tone.

"Did I do something wrong?" He blurted out, eyes immediately going wide with regret.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, moving toward him and reaching for his hand in an effort to comfort.

"You seem really upset with me. Did I make you uncomfortable by saying something stupid? Or-" He began, before she shushed him.

"No, chaton. I'm not upset with you. More, I'm upset about you. Something happened before I time travelled and it has been haunting me ever since." She began explaining, trying to ease into the topic.

"My Lady, you're scaring me." With that, he squeezed her hand back.

"You died." She revealed softly. She felt his hand tense.

"What?" He yelped, eyes riddled with fear and confusion.

"Timebreaker was about to hit me and zap me from existence, but you took the hit for me. The energy she got from you was how she managed to travel back so far in time. Now, every time you take a hit for me, I just think back to then and you're dying all over again." She explained rapidly, tears welling in her eyes. As the first tear rolled down her cheek, Chat Noir pulled her into a deep hug, gently rubbing her back in a calming way.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It hurt too much to bring up. But, when Alix brought it up, all the guilt hit me again at full force and I knew you needed to know." She sobbed into his shoulder. His body tensed, causing her to gasp.

"Wait, how would she remember killing me?" He asked, pulling back from her to make eye contact.

"I don't know. All she knows is she can remember what both versions of her did. No other victim seems to remember."

"No, I mean how does she remember what happened in the other timeline? Shouldn't your Miraculous Cure have fixed everything?" He questioned her, a serious look burning in his eyes.

"It did. It merged the two of her like it did with me. I mean, I remember both so..." She trailed off when she saw the horrified expression wash over Chat Noir's face. He took several steps back, his expression not relaxing.

"Oh, no. Ladybug, what have you done?" He asked with a strained voice.

"What do you mean?" She had a horrible feeling about where this was going.

"If the only people who remember both timelines were the ones who jumped, that means that the timelines remained separate. If our timeline replaced the original then everyone would have merged and I would remember both as well." Chat Noir ranted.

"Again, what do you mean?" Ladybug asked, voice squeaking in fear.

"I mean I think you left the original timeline with no Ladybug." He revealed, the look of horror on his face now making complete sense.

"Which means that universe has a Hawkmoth with no Chat Noir and no Ladybug." She whispered, the meaning of what she said hitting her in the gut and stealing all her breathe.


	2. Gateways

It had been a week and a half since Marinette had gone to Master Fu asking for help. He had told her that he was aware of a spell that would allow inter-dimensional travel, but it would take him time to decode the incantation. He had, in the meantime, given her a short list of requirements needed for the spell for her and Chat Noir to prepare in the meantime. Finding a "threshold of significance" was simple enough; the Arc de Triomphe. A "bond of ink to thine destination" was a little more complicated, but together they had figured they needed something from the alternative universe to use as paint to draw on the symbols needed on the arc to turn it into a portal. Reluctantly, Chat Noir agreed to let Ladybug use her blood, as she was half from that world and hoped it would be enough. Now she had a small bag of her own blood hidden in her kitchen fridge and was anxiously waiting to hear from Master Fu.

"Marinette, please try not to stress. It's not your fau-" Tikki began to reassure.

"Please don't tell me it's not my fault. I _know_ it is. Our cure is meant to fix everything, but it didn't, so clearly I did something wrong." Marinette groaned, collapsing back on her chaise. She flicked her eyes over to her resting kwami just in time to see her shift uncomfortably, as if she were holding back information.

"Tikki?" Hearing the concern in Marinette's voice, the little red Kwami sighed.

"I didn't want to say anything because it would upset you, but you're already blaming yourself so I might as well not hide it. The two Ladybugs and Alixs merged because of you, but it wasn't your fault! I didn't explain properly how your magic works, so if anyone is to blame it is me." Tikki admitted, tears welling in her eyes. Marinette sat up and shifted around to face her.

"What are you talking about?"

"The cure works completely on will. Whatever you decide is the fix, that's what it does. It's meant to prevent undoing things that were done after summoning Lucky Charm that you want to remain done. For example, if you ate something and you didn't want it to disappear from your stomach. Most of the time just thinking 'fix the damage' works fine because most of the time it is just physical damage. But when something complicated happens, the magic requires you to think about what the best solution would be." Tikki explained to a captivated Marinette.

"So, when I thought 'there are two of me, there should only be one', the magic took that as merge us?" Marinette questioned. Tikki nodded.

"Please don't blame yourself, Marinette. How were you meant to know the complex implications of time travel? You're only a teenager, not a physicist!" Tikki attempted to comfort. Marinette let herself collapse face down.

"Chat Noir knew straight away." She mumbled into her pillow.

"Chat Noir…had a lonely childhood. I'm sure when your only friends are books and television for years, you learn all sorts of crazy things!"

"I just wish I was brave enough to talk to him about it sooner. When I think about how long that world has gone on with the damage I never fixed…" Marinette reached around her waist and hugged anxiously. Tikki bounced over to Marinette's head and snuggled into the crook of her neck. Right when she started to relax, her phone went off, causing her to jump in alarm.

" _Ladybug…it is ready_." Crackled the voice of Master Fu.

.

Despite it being around three in the morning, there was still a handful of civilians out and about around the Arc de Triomphe. Despite most of them being drunks out for a night of partying, Chat Noir was worried about unwanted attention. He redirected his attention back to Ladybug, who was scaling the Arc to paint various magical symbols around the edges. She was doing an expectedly amazing job recreating the symbols, so he had complete faith the spell would work.

"Will the portal take up the whole Arc?" Chat Noir asked Master Fu, eyes not leaving his lady. '

"I assume you are worried about some inebriated friends following you into the portal. Don't worry; as soon as the caster is through the portal it will close. That is why I asked you to prepare your own blood for the journey back." Master Fu reassured. Chat Noir sighed.

"That's not the only thing I am worried about."

"What is troubling you, child?" Chat Noir could hear the small man shift to look up at him. He turned to face him, to see an expression of loving concern.

"I'm worried about what kind of place we're going to walk into. I mean, yeah Hawkmoth is there with no Ladybug and Chat Noir to stop him, but isn't going after our Miraculous his whole M.O? What horrible thing would he do when he found out he lost his chance?" Chat Noir fretted. A gentle hand rested on his arm.

"Whatever you find there, I believe you and Ladybug will leave it in a better state than when you entered it." Master Fu offered a warm smile, patting Chat on the arm before removing his hand and turning back to Ladybug, who had just finished her work and had dropped down in front of them.

"The Arc is ready, Master Fu." Ladybug announced, wearing her nerves on her sleeve as she anxiously shifted from foot to foot.

"The Arc may be ready, but more importantly; are you ready?" Master Fu asked. Ladybug paused to think to herself, before she seemed to steady herself.

"Yes. I'm ready." She spoke with confidence. Chat Noir wondered what she thought about that gave her strength. He knew he could use some himself. He paced over to join her at her side. Testing his luck, he reached down to hold her hand. Surprisingly enough, her fingers squeezed over his hand as she gazed up at him with an appreciative look in her eyes. Maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise; she clearly needed comfort. Romantic or not, Chat Noir decided he would be there for her no matter what.

With new found determination, Chat Noir took the scroll with the incantation out of his pocket. Before he could think about letting go of Ladybug's hand, her free one reached up and unravelled the scroll for him. The words on the page were written phonetically, but Ladybug had previously stated she was still worried about mispronouncing something and had asked him to cast the spell. Clearing his throat, he began to read the scroll aloud. As he spoke, he felt an energy swell within him, akin to his Cataclysm, but different somehow. Ladybug's blood on the Arc began glowing, shifting from red to purple to blue. The glow then shifted from the symbols and gravitated towards the centre of the Arc, quickly followed by a green glow that seemed to come from somewhere behind him –no…it was coming from _inside_ him. The green and blue lights swirled together and expanded until it filled the entire archway and by the time he finished reading, the light completely blocked all vision to the other side. As they stepped up to the portal, he felt Ladybug's grip tighten around his hand, but when he looked down, her expression was stoic.

"Come on, Ladybug. Let's go save the day."


	3. A World in Need of a Cure

Stepping into the portal had been a confusing sensation. The second she was within it, Ladybug no longer felt a sense of time or space. Minutes or days could have past, and the end of the portal could have been a metre away or a mile away, but either way she would not be able to tell. After an unfathomable amount of time, Ladybug felt herself step out from the portal and was immediately greeted by blaring sunlight searing into her unsuspecting retinas. Wincing, she instinctively clenched her eyes shut, unable to take in any of her surroundings. Before she could properly adjust, she heard a low moan emit from her partner, whose hand she was still holding on tight to.

"Chat!" Ladybug cried out, reaching for her partner as his knees buckled and threatened to give up underneath him. She threw her arms around him to support his weight pulled him toward her to help prop him up.

"I'm okay! I just wasn't expecting the spell to be so taxing. I'm obviously not used to tapping into my own resources to cast a spell." He reassured her, gasping as if out of breath. Ladybug gave a chuckle, mostly out of relief.

"We should give our Kwamis more credit, hey?"

"I don't think I feel bad enough to justify the way Plagg carries on." Chat mumbled. Ladybug couldn't help but feel like she had the better deal when it came to their Kwamis. If Plagg was as dramatic as Chat Noir said he was, he was probably going to chew him out the next time he detransformed.

"I'm sure summoning pure destruction is harder than it seems." She offered in defence.

"Can't be that much harder than creating a portal to another timeline." Chat Noir replied with his usual grin, seeming to have recovered completely.

"Speaking of…" Ladybug turned her head from her partner to take in her surroundings. Looking around, it finally hit her that despite leaving the other timeline at night, it appeared to be the afternoon in this timeline. But that observation wasn't what was bothering Ladybug.

"Cool! It's daytime. There's no reason why time would move differently here, so either we were in the portal for way long, or the portal itself warped the continuum. It would be so fascinating to stud-" Ladybug cut Chat Noir off mid-rant with a finger to his lips. She wasn't in the mood to put up with him nerding out, despite how cute she found it.

"Isn't there something more pressing we should be noticing, Chat?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him to let him know she meant business. After a moment of blushing and staring into her eyes, he blinked away his hypnotised expression and looked back at the city around them.

"Everything…looks normal." He commented, looking as if he was beginning to catch on to what she was talking about, but wasn't quite there yet. Ladybug took a deep breath in.

"It looks normal, but can you sense that in the air. The world feels…sad." She stated, grimacing as a wave of realisation washed over her as to why the world was this way. It needed to be healed.

Wasting no more time, the pair launched themselves towards the Trocadéro, where the akuma attack had taken place. Despite having visited the area since looking for a way to get here looking to jog his memory over the events, no amount of research in his world would have prepared Chat Noir for what he saw when they arrived. Surrounding the fountain where the race had taken place stood tarpaulin fences which blocked off the view into the area. Noticing Ladybug freeze in place, he rubbed his hand up and down her back, hoping to soothe her anxiety.

"I'm here with you." He promised in the most supportive tone he could muster. After giving her a moment to gather herself, they shifted one of the fences and entered. He tried not to react outwardly to seeing what looked like ghosts of his school friends littered around the area, afraid that it might upset Ladybug further. Each student had fresh flowers placed at their feet, and Chat Noir felt a pang in his heart knowing that if the flowers were fresh, they were still being visited by friends and family.

"You're this way." Ladybug attempted to muster up a professional tone, visibly avoiding looking at the images of the students lost in time. He followed her to a pathway, which toward the end of he saw a large pile of flowers, unlit candles, cards, and an assortment of gifts around a transparent black shape. The sad gasp that burst from Ladybug told him all he needed to know; it was the other him. As they got closer, he could begin seeing his own distinct shape. The other him was crouching, arms looking as if wrapped around someone protectively. Chat Noir didn't need to have been told to have known it had been Ladybug. Once close enough to see his own face, the expression seemed calm, almost at peace with what he was doing. The other him knew exactly what he was doing. Chat Noir turned to look at Ladybug, who had a traumatised expression over her face, eyes wide and terrified as she stared at the ghost of her partner.

"Time to make it right, my Lady." Chat Noir said, jolting her out of it as he put a hand on her shoulder. After a moment of locking eyes together, she nodded with newfound determination and stepped away from him.

"Lucky Charm!" She exclaimed. A moment later, a card appeared out of thin air and fell into her hands. Upon closer inspection, it was a 'Get Well Soon' card, which Chat Noir found inappropriately appropriate for the situation, almost as if her magic was making a joke. A moment later, Ladybug threw the card back up into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She cried out, her nervousness very apparent in her voice. With her words, the card burst into a swarm of little ladybugs that quickly swept through the sky. He took a moment to watch them wash over the other students, before looking back to see them wash over the other version of him. Once he had been passed over, the crouching ghost was replaced by a solid, standing, and very much alive version.

"Chat!" Ladybug almost screamed, all the emotion she had been holding back for efficiency sake suddenly bursting out in the form of tears. She charged at the other version of him and pulled him into a very strong and intense hug. It reminded Chat Noir of the hug he gave her after she jumped into a dinosaurs mouth, but so much more emotional. The other him tensed from shock, looking down at Ladybug with wide eyes.

"M-m'Lady?" He questioned, which only resulted in more sobbing and an even tighter hug. Not seeming to understand, but also not wanting to lose his opportunity to hug Ladybug, the other Chat Noir wrapped him arms around her and returned the embrace.

"I-it's okay, my Lady. I'm here. I'm fine." He soothed, rubbing circles with his thumbs over her back. Chat Noir had to internally force himself to not intervene, despite his raging jealousy. Ladybug and the other him needed this moment, and it wasn't up to him to ruin it. He heard his own voice chuckle, which was an odd sensation to go through.

"Why were you so worried. Since when were you ever not able to save the day?" He asked with a laugh filled with a tone of adoration. Ladybug tensed and pulled away from him.

"I-I'm so sorry, Chat. I came as soon as I could." She whimpered, her eyes not quite finding the strength to lift all the way up to his, instead staring shamefully at the bell at his throat. The other Chat Noir raised an eyebrow.

"Wait; how long was I out for?" He asked with a confusion riddled expression. She sighed.

"Basically a year. I ended up going back in time and making a new timeline. I swear I came as soon I could." She explained, tears bubbling back up again. His eyes blew wide with surprise.

"A-a year? I wouldn't have been able to guess that." He said with a tone of disbelief.

"Really?" She squeaked back. Both Chat Noirs smiled at the sweet sound.

"Yeah. Time was hard to measure in the darkness. Could have been five minutes, could have been five hundred years. All I know it, any time away from you feels like an eternity, my Lady." He explained, before putting on a thick layer of charm and pulling her back into a hug.

"Oh, Chaton…" She sighed as she leaning back into the hug, burying her face into his neck. Clearly shocked by the positive reaction, the other Chat Noir emits a small gasp. Before he can say any more, there was a single beep that rung in the air from Ladybug.

"Ladybug, your earrings. You should go hide and feed your Kwami. I'll take care of the other me and get him up to speed." Chat Noir spoke, finally breaking his own awkward silence. The other version of him snapped his head toward him and his eyes flew open with surprise and confusion. Ladybug let go of him and began stepping away.

"Who are you?" The other Chat Noir asked, eyes frantically darting between Chat Noir and Ladybug.

"I'm you from the new timeline Ladybug made when she time travelled. I guess we could think of you as Chat Noir Prime, and me as Chat Noir 2.0, or maybe the reboot." Now that Chat Noir was thinking about it, he could help but imagine various ways they could distinguish between the two of them. He liked Chat No1r and Ch2t Noir, but it didn't quite work verbally. He could at least use it in his head, for now. After the brief explanation, Chat No1r looks at Ladybug for confirmation.

"It's true, kitty. He's you and I trust him with my life, so you should trust him too." With that confirmation, she bolted off to find a place to detransform, leaving two black cat superheroes alone together.

"So you're really me, then?" Chat No1r asked to confirm.

"I'm not a copycat akuma, or an illusion if that's what you're thinking. Although, I guess you never got to see those fights, aye?" Ch2t Noir tried to reassure, before returning to his usual playful demeaner.

"What?"

"Oh yeah, not too long after Timebreaker we fought Copycat, an akuma who was a cheap knock off of me because I made him jealous of my relationship with Ladybug. Later on we fought an akuma disguised as Volpina, a fox miraculous holder. She tried to use an illusion of Adrien dangling off the Eiffel Tower to trick Ladybug into giving up her miraculous. Boy that was rough trying to get Ladybug to trust me that it wasn't the real Adrien witho-" Ch2t Noir rattled on, before eventually being interrupted by his prime self, who was looking rather confused and frantic.

"Stop! You're overwhelming me with information. Fox miraculous? Relationship with Ladybug?" He almost yelped. Ch2t Noir sighed, realising how unhelpful it was to give information that quickly.

"I'm sorry. I'll ease you into everything on the way home." He attempted to reassure, but was met with a response of snapping to attention.

"Home?! Father! If I've been gone for so long he's probably losing his mind! I have to go!" Chat No1r exclaimed, grabbing his staff and vaulting in the direction of the Agreste Manor. Ch2t Noir winced as he glanced back and forth between when Ladybug went and where Chat No1r went, not sure whether to wait for Ladybug or stay with his other self to make sure he was okay. Remembering his promise to take care of him fresh in his memory, he took off after his other self.


	4. Talking to Yourself

With a bit more practice under his belt, Ch2t Noir found himself easily capable of catching up to his other self and pulling him down into a hidden alley way.

"Hey! Paws off, Reboot. What's the deal?" Chat No1r snapped, pulling himself free from the other's grasp.

"I was thinking it would be better to help keep your identity secret if you are seen with Chat Noir as Adrien. It helped a lot in my timeline." Ch2t Noir offered.

"How did you pull _that_ off?"

"You'd be surprised how effective a cardboard cut-out in a motorcyclist helmet can be." Ch2t Noir responded with a knowing wink.

Chat No1r called his de-transformation, catching an exhausted Plagg in his hands. With a quick observation now that the glamour magic was gone, Ch2t Noir noticed that Ladybug's Cure had aged him by the amount of time that had passed. It appeared that Ladybug had thought that being caught up was better than feeling out of time with the world.

"Plagg, are you okay?" Adrien asked the dark Kwami.

"I'll be better when I can get something to eat." Came a weak mumble from the cat-like creature. Both versions of the boy could tell that this wasn't the Kwami's usual flair for drama and that he was genuinely exhausted.

"I'll get you home quickly." Ch2t Noir promised in a soft, comforting voice as he reached down and scratched Plagg behind the ear. Adrien dropped the now passed out Plagg into his pocket before looking back up at the other version of him and nodded, showing he was ready to go. With a mischievous grin, Ch2t Noir swept an arm under Adrien's knees and another around his upper back, lifting him into a bridal carry. In another instant, they were taking off.

"This is _so_ weird." Adrien mumbled, avoiding eye contact as his arms tightened around the superhero's neck for safety. Ch2t Noir sighed as he vaulted through the streets.

"Honestly, with all the weird stuff that just constantly seems to go on in my life, this doesn't really phase me. After you've fought Santa Claus, a teddy bear, and a giant baby, not much will." He admitted dryly. Adrien chuckled, expression reading as though he is imagining what each of those battles would look like, his embarrassment gone for now.

"Sounds like Hawkmoth will have to get extra creative to throw you off balance. I wonder what he's been up to here without me and Ladybug to chase. He probably got bored to death waiting." Adrien commented with a grin. As they continued on their way, Ch2t Noir made sure to wave at people along the way, both to let them know Chat Noir is back, and so witnesses saw Chat Noir and Adrien at the same time. Turning a corner, the Agreste Manor came into view and in an instant, a haunting chill went up Ch2t Noir's spine. Something looked different about the estate. Something was wrong. Silently, he dropped Adrien in front of the intercom at the external gate. Before Adrien can press the buzzer, they both notice a weather-beaten "for sale" sign hanging over the gate.

"I don't get it. Did dad move? I better call Nathalie…" Adrien mumbled, pulling out his phone and dialling for his father's assistant. As he waited, Ch2t Noir's eyes drifted toward the front of the house. There appeared to be the vague markings of graffiti over the front entrance that had been cleaned away at some point. Whatever what the message had said, it could not be discerned any more.

"Hey, Nathalie. I just got home after being cured from an akuma attack but the house is for sale? Where's father?" Adrien spoke into the phone. Ch2t Noir turned back in time to see Adrien's expression blow out into shock and fear at whatever he was being told. With no warning, he hung up the phone and threw it toward the gate, hitting the metal with a loud clang, it then landing on the ground not too far from their feet.

"What happened?" Ch2t Noir asked cautiously. Adrien stood unmoving for a moment with his eyes wide open, before his hand raised up to begin raking through his hair anxiously.

"Sh-she said dad is… _dead_." Adrien revealed, tone riddled with pain and confusion. Cha2t Noir gasped with horror at the news. How did his father die? Was this something that was prevented by his presence in his timeline? Was he killed in a Hawkmoth attack? Suddenly, Adrien dropped to the ground, scrambling to grab his phone again.

"I have to know what happened." He gasped out, furiously typing into the search bar. Ch2t Noir dropped down as well, kneeling over his side to watch the screen. After "Gabriel Agreste death" had been typed, Adrien tapped the first result, which was an article labelled "Gabriel is Hawkmoth? Shock Suicide Note Reveal". As the title implied, the article went on to discuss how it was revealed in a suicide note that after months of searching for his son, the guilt of causing his own sons death as Hawkmoth drove Gabriel to kill himself and confess his sins. It took all of his strength not to scream right then and there. He felt sick to his stomach and a heavy shadow fall over his heart. Before Ch2t Noir could read any further, the hands holding the phone shook too much to keep a grip on it and it fell to the ground once again. Beside him, Adrien began sobbing as his entire body shook with grief and shock. Brushing aside the tears streaming down his own face, Ch2t Noir reached an arm around Adrien and pulled him into a tight, comforting embrace. Sure, he was upset. But, he still had a chance to confront his father and hopefully fix things, the other him didn't. He didn't have to be him to see how absolutely devastated he was and how much he needed someone to be there for him. As Adrien weaved his arms around him and pressed his face into his chest, Ch2t Noir moved one of his own arms up to wrap around his double's face, fingers combing through his hair the way his mother used to when he cried. The soothing motion slowed down the shaking and calmed the sobbing to gentle tears. Ch2t Noir wasn't sure how much time had passed before one of them spoke again.

"Where do I go now? I have nobody now." Adrien spoke softly. Ch2t Noir only needed a second to think of somewhere safe to take him. He rose to his feet, taking Adrien with him, who stumbled as his feet struggled to stand on their own.

"I know you feel like you have no one to turn to, but I've learned several times that there are many people around us that care more than you know. Come, I'll take you to someone I trust who I know will help you." Ch2t Noir reassured, arm draped around Adrien as he tugged him gently down the street.

"Who?"

"Marinette." Ch2t Noir answered warmly. He felt Adrien tense under his hold.

"Dupain-Cheng? I thought she didn't like us." Adrien questioned with an uncomfortable frown. Remembering how he felt about Marinette before he understood her, Ch2t Noir couldn't help but laugh.

"It might look that way, but she likes us. She just gets flustered really easily which makes her a little insane, so she ends up saying a lot of random nonsense. It's pretty funny once you get used to it. She told me she was going to ride cous-cous once." He giggled at the memory.

"If that's true, why are you so sure she'd help me?" That stopped his laughter. He could barely remember a time where he didn't admire Marinette's generosity.

"There's no need to be nervous. Despite how silly she is, she's one of the kindest, most reliable, selfless people I know. When under pressure, she always steps up. When we had to use her for bait for an akuma, she was a complete natural and even saved my life with her quick thinking. When we were training for the gaming tournament she kept beating me, and she could tell I was sad so she gave me a lucky charm to cheer me up. I actually carry it with me everywhere I go, and made one for her to give her for her birthday because I wanted to give back some of the luck she had brought me. Took me a while to give it to her because another akuma was targeting her, but it was cool seeing how all our friends stood up to protect her because of everything she had done for them in the past. She even helped me hide from Gorilla and a swarm of rabid fans when an ad I was in got too popular." Ch2t Noir rambled.

"She sounds co-" Adrien begun to say, before quickly being cut off.

"She's really cool once you get her more out of her shell. When she came to tryouts for fencing she was really cute and charming when she called me handsome, and she picked up fencing so quickly. Oh, and I've never seen anyone stand up to Chloe the way she does, but she was also willing to give her a chance when Chloe made an effort to be nicer to everyone. Marinette was so nice to dance with at that party. She just has a way of making you feel at home, you know? She's the only person besides Plagg I've ever trusted to talk to about my feelings for Ladybug. When I told her, she was so empathetic and warm. It felt safe, like I could tell her anything and she'd still be there for me." Ch2t Noir continued to rant, completely caught up in his own memories, only being pulled out of it by the sound of a scoff.

"So even though Ladybug stayed with you there, you gave up anyway?" Adrien questioned darkly.

"Huh? I never gave up on Ladybug. I still love her with my whole heart." Ch2t Noir replied.

"If you're so devoted to Ladybug, why are you so interested in Marinette?" Adrien accused. Ch2t Noir stopped walking.

"Wait a minute. What? I don't like Marinette like _that_! We're just good friends!" He yelped defensively. Adrien growled in a way that surprised Ch2t Noir, causing him to flinch away from.

"This is just perfect. You just have everything that I don't and you don't even appreciate it." Adrien continued accusing, voice still growling.

"What are y-"

"Ladybug chose _you_! She stayed in your timeline instead of coming back for me. She left me alone in the darkness for a year, but it felt so much longer than that. It was absolute agony being that alone. It felt so good to hold her again, but then I found out she replaced me with you. I suppose the guilt was too much so she caved and came back for me?" Adrien spat out angrily, tears welling in his eyes again.

"No! It's not like that at all! She had no idea you were still here! She doesn't understand time travel at all, so when she merged selves, she thought everything merged. She thought you were inside me all this time! She's gone a year thinking that it was me who died to save her, thinking I was more of a hero than I ever was. She protects me because she can't stand how much it hurts thinking about what happened to you, but I didn't do anything to earn that love!" Ch2t Noir cried out, admitting the hidden guilt he had felt since Ladybug opened up about the events prior to her time jump. Before he knew it, tears were forming once again just like his other self. After what felt like a minute of awkward crying, Ch2t chuckled lowly.

"You were right." Ch2t Noir commented. Adrien tilted his head in confusion.

"This is _so_ weird."


	5. Reality Sets In

"How much longer do you need, Tikki? I'm worried about leaving the two Chat Noirs alone for too long." Marinette asked softly as her Kwami chewed frantically. Taking in what Marinette said, Tikki pauses.

"Are you worried they're going to fight?" Tikki squeaked nervously.

"What? No, I'm worried their going to try to out-do each other, or worse… _flirt_ with each other." Marinette explained with a shudder, causing Tikki to snort before finishing her cookie. With a nod of confirmation between the two, Marinette transforms back into Ladybug and rushes out from her hiding spot back to where she had left the two Chat Noirs. Arriving to find them both gone, Ladybug wished she could say she was surprised, but she knew how distractible that boy could be. As she looked around to see if she could spot them, she began taking in something new in her surroundings. All of her friends who had been frozen in time were now awake again. Kim was walking around in a dazed state. Rose was soothingly patting Chloe, who was sobbing to the point of shaking. Sitting on the sidewalk beside them was Sabrina, who was surprisingly still as she hunched with her arms around her head. She could hear Mylene calling out for Ivan from somewhere she couldn't see. It only reminded Ladybug that soon people will be looking for Marinette.

"Ladybug!" A manic voice called out. She whipped her head around toward the noise to see Alya running toward her, tears running down her face. Seeing her best friend like this shook Ladybug to her core, especially considering how strong Alya was most of the time.

"What took you so long?" She cried out, her voice a blend of heartbreak and relief. No longer able to hide her emotions, Ladybug burst into tears and rushed to her friend, scooping her up in a needy hug.

"Alya, I'm so s-sorry! During the fight I ended up going back in time and I didn't know that meant creating a new timeline! I swear as soon as I knew, I figured out how to travel between universes and got here as fast as I could! I'm so sorry!" Ladybug rambled between sobs. Sensing her sincerity, the tension in Alya's body dropped and she returned the hug. After not enough time, their hug is interrupted by a low, vague murmuring sound. Ladybug turns to see a wave of people entering the area. Ladybug realised that they must have come after seeing the Miraculous Cure wash over Trocadéro.

"Mylene!" Boomed the familiar roar of Ivan, visible at the front of the crowd. Ladybug gasped. That's right, she saved Ivan from getting hit right before travelling back. To think she had left him here alone with only the ghost of his love and his friends. She'd have to work hard to make it up to him…to everyone.

From behind her, Ladybug felt a wind whoosh past her and when she blinked, she could see Mylene running towards Ivan. She'd never seen the girl move so fast, she could hardly believe that she could at all. Ladybug rationalised that being reunited with someone you love brings something powerful out of people. Her tiny classmate took a running leap at Ivan, who caught her in his arms and the two hugged desperately as they cried in relief. Before Ladybug could react to the beautiful scene in front of her, her eyes were drawn to a different couple…her parents.

"Oh no. She's not with them." Alya whimpered. Ladybug turned back to face her friend to see she was also looking at Sabine and Tom.

"Who?" Ladybug asked, remembering all of a sudden to try to protect her identity.

"Marinette. When she didn't show up with the rest of us I was hoping she managed to get away without being caught and she was fine this whole time. But judging by the looks on their faces..." As Alya explained, voice laced with anxiety, Ladybug looked back at her parents. Tom had an arm around Sabine and they both wore tired looks of desperation. A look only worn by parents who had spent a year relentlessly hoping for their child to return.

"I-I should talk to them. Let them know she wasn't here with the rest of us when we woke up." Alya stated grimly, before taking a steadying breath and walking over to them. Being able to tell the exact moment they realised that Marinette was not here, Ladybug forced herself to walk away as she heard her parents wailing in pain. Then she heard another voice cutting through the air.

"Adrien! Are you here?" She recognised with a wince that it was Nino. She had to keep walking, in an attempt to put some distance between herself and the most soul-crushing sound that came from her parents. She'd have to check on Nino and worry about Adrien later. He had helped everyone get away so he was probably fine. Nino was probably wondering if he was there to check on his classmates once he saw the Miraculous Cure. Eventually, Ladybug found herself in front of a worn out poster, the words "Missing Children" still clear enough to read, as well as the pictures of three Françoise Dupont students. The first was Alix, the second was Marinette, and the third…

Ladybug's stomach dropped in fear. She was so sure that Adrien had gotten away. During the entire fight she didn't see him after he got everyone to scatter. Maybe she missed it while talking to Chat Noir. She should call that cat back to help her look for him. Maybe he already saw him on his way to wherever the two of him were heading. It only took a couple of rings for Chat Noir to pick up.

"Hello, my Lady! Sorry we ran off. We had a…home emergency. The other me is dealing with it." He informed through the little screen.

"That's fine. Chat Noir, I need your help. Have you seen a boy named Adrien Agreste?"

Chat Noir visibly flinches at the name. Did he know something she didn't?

"Uh…why?" He asked, avoiding eye contact with her.

"He's been legally missing since the attack and I'm really worried. I _need_ to know he's okay." She answered frantically, voice riddled with panic.

"He's fine! He's right here, please don't get upset. Adrien, come here!" Chat Noir reassured, before calling out to someone off screen. In a moment, Adrien appeared on screen with a mesmerised look on his face.

"You were worried about _me_?" Adrien asked with a painful amount of confusion and sincerity. Ladybug realised that every scenario where she interacted with Adrien as Ladybug happened after Timebreaker, so of course he was confused. But there was something else in his expression. Something in Chat Noir's too.

"Have you guys been crying? Are you okay?" Her voice softened, trying to make them feel as safe as possible to open up to her.

"No! I'm fine!" Adrien burst out in a panic. He jolted as Chat Noir put an arm around his shoulders.

"To be honest, we were crying, but we are doing better now. We found out some very bad news that I think you should know." Chat Noir looked from his camera back at Adrien, who took a moment to realise what he wanted him to do.

"When I got back home I found out that my father had killed himself." He revealed with a shaky voice. Ladybug's eyes blew wide open with shock.

" _What_? Oh my god, I'm so sorry Adrien!"

"That's not all, LB. In his suicide note, he admitted to being Hawkmoth." Chat Noir added on grimly, sounding quite angry and sad at the same time. The meaning of what he said processed through her mind. They had considered Gabriel as Hawkmoth before, dismissing it when he became akumatized. Why had the dismissed it so easily when they didn't even know if it was possible for Hawkmoth to akumatize himself or not? Ladybug's stomach dropped at the thought of having left Adrien to live with the man this whole time. She shook herself into focus.

"We'll deal with that when we've finished our job here. Where are you now?"

"We were on our way to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. I thought Marinette and her family could take care of Adrien in the meantime." Chat Noir informs, removing his arm from Adrien's shoulder to give him a reassuring pat on the back. Ladybug grimaced, dreading having to watch more people she care about get upset over her.

"The Dupain-Cheng family won't be home. They're here looking for Marinette. They're not going to be able to find her." She told them darkly, trying to stay as emotionless as possible. Chat Noir's expression dropped to one of pure horror.

"Marinette?! _No_! She should have been fine after the cure! She _has_ to be okay! Please, Ladybug! Please help me find her!" He exclaimed, fear and panic taking over. There was no way she was going to be able to hide her emotions seeing her partner like this. It was too distressing seeing him so upset, especially over her. Her tears came flooding back uncontrollably.

"I-I'm sorry, Chaton. But that's i-impossible. N-nobody can find her." She told him through tears, barely able to speak clear enough for him to understand. Before he could say anything else, she hung up and stowed her yoyo. She found herself slumping to the ground, tears continuing as she began to hyperventilate. She was nowhere near as ready as she thought she was to face this.

Ch2t Noir stared at his baton despite the call having already ended. He found he couldn't look away as he thought about how Ladybug was acting and what she had said. Only when he received a tap on the shoulder was his trance broken. He turned to see the other version of himself looking at him inquisitively.

"What was that all about?" Adrien asked. Ch2t Noir felt his heart beat faster as what he was realising was sinking in.

"She was talking about Marinette like she knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to be found. Almost like she had left the timeline. Don't you see what that means?" Ch2t Noir started to explain. He waited for a confused nod from Adrien before continuing.

"The only people who left the timeline were Alix and Ladybug. The only thing that would make sense is that Marinette is Ladybug." Ch2t Noir concluded, barely containing his exclamation. Adrien's jaw dropped with surprise as he tried to process what he was just told, eyes cycling through a variety of emotions. With no warning Ch2t Noir grabbed his other self by the arm and pulled him up and around until he was slung over his back.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Adrien yelped, wrapping his arms around the neck and his legs around the waist. Ch2t Noir noted that the other him must have already become used to going along with a plan before having it explained to him.

"If I know Marinette as well as I like to think I do, she's really upset right now and possibly having a panic attack thinking about her parents. We have to help her!" Once he got a nod of agreement from Adrien, Ch2t Noir took his baton and activated it to launch them back in the direction of Trocadéro.


End file.
